An application has been made to reintroduce the lynx to the Northumberland countryside on a trial basis.

The Lynx UK Trust has submitted an application to Natural England to bring six of the wild cats from Sweden to Kielder Forest.

If permission is given, four females and two males wearing satellite collars to monitor their movements will be released into the forest for five years.

No date has been set for the proposed reintroduction but the trust said it could be by the end of 2017 if the plans are approved.

The chief scientific adviser on the project, Dr Paul O’Donoghue, said: “Tens of thousands of man-hours of work by a huge team of people have gone into consultations shaping this final application which marks a significant milestone in the history of UK conservation - potentially the first return of an extinct predator, which could prove to be a really keystone species for our ecosystem.”

Dr O’Donoghue said the reintroduction of the lynx could bring economic benefits to the Kielder area , suggesting it could be known as “the kingdom of the lynx”, a unique eco-tourism destination in the UK.

He said his team has had positive feedback from local businesses with the Angler’s Arms pub, in Kielder, already sporting a life-size replica lynx above the bar.

He said: “We’ve now reached a point where we feel every piece of research has been done, every concern that can be raised has been raised, and the only way to move truly forward is with an intensively monitored trial reintroduction of a small number of cats.

“That can tell us exactly how suitable the lynx would be for a larger reintroduction.”